[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 66 (Thursday, May 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S5351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE DAY

 Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, as the senior Senator from the 
state that launched the Mercury astronaut pioneers into space, sent 
Apollo astronauts to the moon, and has hosted numerous space shuttle 
launches since 1981, it is a tremendous privilege to lead the U.S. 
Senate in recognizing May 21 as ``International Space Day.''
  Our nation's exciting adventure in space began just over forty years 
ago, with the launch of the Explorer I satellite on January 31, 1958. 
The celebration of this anniversary gave us cause to look back at 
America's four decades in space. ``International Space Day'' gives us a 
chance to look forward and assess how to seize the space opportunities 
of the future.
  Mr. President, forty years after we launched our first satellite and 
nearly thirty years since Neil Armstrong took mankind's first steps on 
the lunar surface, Americans remain captivated by the exploration of 
space.
  Students across the nation eagerly study past achievements and future 
adventures in space exploration. In Florida, tourists flock to the 
Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral to see the famed launch pads and 
rockets that have boosted man into space. Right here in Washington, the 
National Air and Space Museum, National Space Society, and the 
aerospace industry have put space right on Congress' doorstep.
  ``International Space Day'' is an appropriate occasion to reflect on 
how our exploration and utilization of space dramatically affects our 
day-to-day lives. It is especially timely this week, when the breakdown 
of the Galaxy Four satellite has wreaked havoc in our nation's 
telecommunications sector. Many of us have constituents who were unable 
to listen to National Public Radio's reports on this week's floor 
debate on comprehensive tobacco legislation. Thousands of Americans 
have been inconvenienced because their pagers do not work. Doctors, 
businesses, television viewers and radio listeners--virtually everyone 
in our society--have been affected.
  Relatively few Americans have had the opportunity to escape the 
Earth's atmosphere and gravity, but space affects all of us. Galaxy 
Four is just one example of how critical the utilization of space is to 
our economy. We are on the brink of a new frontier in commercial space 
activity, with almost weekly launches of new communications satellites 
and the most competitive space launch market in decades.
  In 1998, the Senate will have a unique opportunity to remove barriers 
that impede U.S. companies in the exploration of this new frontier. 
U.S. Senator Connie Mack and I introduced the Commercial Space Act in 
the Senate last fall and we hope to see it passed soon.
  Mr. President, this is an exciting time to be discussing space issues 
in the U.S. Congress. At NASA's Kennedy Space Center--the nation's 
premiere launch base--the space shuttle continues to faithfully serve 
our manned space program. An international team of engineers and 
astronauts is assembling a new space station. In 1997 and early 1998, 
the Mars Pathfinder blazed a four-wheel drive trail on the Red Planet 
and the launch of the Lunar Prospector marked our return to the moon. 
In October, my colleague John Glenn of Ohio will return to space after 
thirty-seven years on Earth. VentureStar is under development as our 
nation's space vehicle of the future. And space tourism--featuring 
space planes that operate from traditional airports--is becoming more 
and more of a likelihood.
  I hope these developments inspire young Americans to develop the 
science, math, and engineering expertise that our nation needs to 
maintain its leadership in space. Congress should encourage efforts 
like that of the U.S. Space Foundation's Mission Home, a program that 
brings together space societies and aerospace companies to educate 
communities all over the nation about our exciting future in space.
  Mr. President, Disneyland will rededicate its Tomorrowland on 
Friday--forty-three years after it first inspired young adventurers to 
aim beyond the stratosphere. I will depend on all 100 members of this 
legislative body to help make sure that the United States is actively 
preparing for its tommorowland by keeping our nation on the forefront 
of the exploration, utilization, and commercialization of space today. 
Working together, we can ensure that every day is space day in the U.S. 
Senate.

                          ____________________